After spending last week in the beautiful Lake District, my mother and I felt a bit sad to return to London. To cheer ourselves up, we decided to have afternoon tea in Knightsbridge. Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley is a famous “fashionista tea” in London, and we couldn’t wait to try it.

Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley

Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley

It was a bit out of character for me to go to a fashionista tea. I’m not shy about my lack of fashion sense and my complete ignorance of all things designer. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a bit of fashion every once in a while.

Pret-a-Portea is inspired by the current season’s runway shows. Everything from the the cakes and cookies to the teacups and saucers is beautifully on trend with the latest fashions.

I may have never heard of Jason Wu or Erdem, but put their work in food, and I’m a fan.

Cake that looks like a hat at Pret a Portea at the Berkeley Hotel in London

On Thursday afternoon we headed down to Knightsbridge and made our way to Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley. We sat down for tea at the hotel at four o’clock, and were promptly brought a pot of Earl Grey in a bold striped teapot.

Next came a tray of finger sandwiches that ranged in filling from roast beef to egg-and-mayonnaise.

Afternoon tea sandwiches at Pret a Portea in London

But the real treat was when the three-tiered tray of savories and pastries arrived. On the bottom was a plate of canapes filled with everything from Asian chicken to giant prawns.

Spoon full of Asian chicken at Pret a Portea afternoon tea at the Berkeley Hotel in London

Above that was the start of the catwalk-inspired cakes that are at the heart of Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley.

First there was an Yves Saint Laurent-inspired skinny stick of white chocolate mousse and raspberry custard topped with meringue and miniature red strawberry candies. It was one of my favorites.

Yves Saint Laurent-inspired white chocolate mousse cake at Pret a Portea at The Berkeley

Then came the Jean Paul Gaultier-inspired bright yellow cheesecake on an almond-and-oat base with a fluorescent yellow sugar spring.

After my experience with cheesecake-from-a-box in Windermere, I was happy to indulge in some truly good, homemade cheesecake at Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley.

Shoe cookie at Pret a Portea afternoon tea in London

Other pastries on the plate included a marzipan-wrapped apricot sponge cake in the likeness of Anya Hindmarch’s ‘Halen’ bag and a rich dark chocolate cake topped with chocolate lace that resembled an Erdem dress.

There was also a sweet pink almond macaron with elderflower ganache that represented the latest fashions from Christopher Kane.

Chocolate cake inspired by an Erdem dress at Pret a Portea at The Berkeley

The top tier of the tray featured two cookies and two small glasses of mousse and bavarois. One cookie was inspired by a Jason Wu dress. The other was in the shape of a clog, which, according to the menu, is the shoe of the season.

Purple cookie inspired by a Jason Wu fashion dress at Pret a Portea in London

The cookies at Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley shared the plate with a striped vanilla mousse and raspberry jam modeled after Sonia Rykiel’s nautical fashions.

Next to it sat an orange, papaya, and hot pink lavender-flavored Bavarian cream that could only be inspired by Paul Smith.

Sadly, it was the last of the sweets I tried, and although it was delicious, my body couldn’t ingest another bite of sugar. It was left half-full.

Bavarian cream inspired by a Paul Smith piece at Pret a Portea in London

I, on the other hand, was left completely full. The afternoon tea service included as many plates of these goodies as we could eat, as well as all the tea we cared to drink.

The staff at The Berkeley even sent us home with adorable green boxes of Pret-a-Portea cakes, which we promptly fed to my boyfriend when we got back to Hampstead.

Menu for Pret a Portea at The Berkeley Hotel

Pret-a-Portea: The Verdict

Indulging in Pret-a-Portea afternoon tea was a beautiful way to cheer ourselves up after leaving the lovely surroundings of the Lake District.

It wasn’t just the sugar high that brightened our moods, though. The thought and creativity that went into the cakes was enough to inspire my inner fashionista to get more creative, too. Well done, Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.

4 Comments on Lady’s Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley Review

  1. Stumbled upon your blog. Great one!

    Wife fell in love with Marcus Wareing at The Berkley and dragged me there for Easter lunch. Thought that the ambiance suits dinner more.

    Will head for tea the next time round. Cheers!

  2. Hi, I was just looking for reviews on this afternoon tea as I am planning on booking it when I go to London in Oct. It looks great so i will definitely be booking it. Great blog article.
    Thanks
    Carly

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.